BRP Simeon Castro (PG-374)
|Ship name=BRP Simeon Castro (PG-374) |Ship namesake=Simeon Castro was an officer of the Offshore Patrol. |Ship operator=Philippine Navy |Ship builder=Trinity-Equitable Shipyards, New Orleans, USA |Ship ordered=August 1989 |Ship acquired=26 April 1991''Shipbuildinghistory.com Equitable Shipyards, New Orleans LA |Ship commissioned=24 June 1991 |Ship status= }} |module2= Saunders, Stephen: Jane's Fighting Ships 107th Edition 2004-2005. Jane's Information Group Ltd, 2004. |Ship beam= |Ship draft= |Ship propulsion= * 2 × 1,400 bhp Detroit 16V-92TA Diesel Engines * 2 × 35-kW Diesel generators * 2 shafts |Ship speed= maximum |Ship range= at |Ship boats=4-meter rigid inflatable boat at aft |Ship complement=12 |Ship sensors=* Raytheon AN/SPS-64(V)11 Navigation / Surface Search Radar |Ship armament=* 4 × Mk.26 M2HB Browning 12.7 mm/50-cal. GP machine guns * 2 × M60 7.62 mm/30-cal. GP machine guns }} }} The BRP Simeon Castro (PG-374) is the fourth ship of the ''Jose Andrada'' class coastal patrol boats of the Philippine Navy. It is part of the first batch of its class ordered through US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) in 1989, and was commissioned with the Philippine Navy on 24 June 1991.GlobalSecurity.org PG Jose Andrada Class.''Manokski's ORBAT @ Hueybravo. Jose Andrada class page. It was initially designated as Fast Patrol Craft, and was numbered "DF-374", but later on was re-designated as a Patrol Gunboat, and was finally re-numbered as "PG-374". Notable Operations / Exercises ''Simeon Castro conducted relief operations sorties to economically displaced families of Cagraray Island, Bacacay, Albay starting 11 January 2011 as part of the local government of Albay's "Food for Work" program. The Simeon Castro rescued 58 passengers of Ro-Ro vessel MV Vanessa P2 off Sayao Bay, Marinduque on 13 May 2011 after responding to a distress call from Coast Guard Station Marinduque. Technical Details The ship was built to US Coast Guard standards with aluminum hull and superstructure. She is powered by two Detroit Diesel 16V-92TA Diesel Engines with a combined power of around 2,800 hp driving two propellers for a maximum speed of . Maximum range is at , or alternatively at . The ship originally designed to carry one bow Mk.3 40 mm gun, one 81 mm mortar aft, and four 12.7 mm/50 caliber machine guns. Instead, she is armed with only four M2HB Browning 12.7 mm/50 caliber machine guns on Mk.26 mounts, with two positioned forward and two aft; and two M60 7.62 mm/30 caliber machine guns, both mounted amidships. The ship can carry 4,000 rounds of 12.7 mm and 2,000 rounds of 7.62 mm A large "Big Eyes" binocular is also carried on tripod mounts, one on the forecastle and one just above the mast. As part of the first batch (PG-370 to PG-378), it is not equipped with Mk.38 Mod.0 Bushmaster 25mm chain gun.AFP Materiel Technical Specification Archives - PN Light Surface Warships Andrada (Halter 78) class Coastal Patrol Craft (24) It was planned to install either a stabilized or unstabilized M242 25 mm Bushmaster chain gun on her bow after some minor modifications, but as of to date has not materialized. She is equipped with a Raytheon AN/SPS-64(V)11 surface search and navigation radar but with a smaller antenna as those used in bigger Philippine Navy ships. A 4-meter rigid inflatable boat powered by a 40-hp outboard motor is stowed amidships.Wertheim, Eric: ''The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 15th Edition, page 553. Naval Institute Press, 2007. Footnotes References External links * Philippine Navy Official website * Philippine Fleet Official Website * Philippine Defense Forum Category:Patrol vessels of the Philippine Navy